After the first third of the pregnancy has passed, then comes the second trimester, which is generally more relaxed for many women.
Initial nausea or dizziness diminishes and the risk of a miscarriage is lower. The baby grows quickly during this time: Its size and weight increase rapidly.
Yawning, frowning, pulling faces
Your child’s movements are becoming increasingly controlled. Your child is now growing extremely fast and so is your womb. You should make sure you are drinking plenty of water. Good hydration can help to prevent possible urinary infections.
Lots of movement
Your child is very active inside the womb. Its bones are becoming harder and it can use its muscles and joints. Most of the unpleasant side effects of being pregnant improve significantly around week 16, so you can really start to enjoy your pregnancy.
Girl or boy?
This is usually an auspicious week in most pregnancies: an ultrasound examination can be used to determine whether you are expecting a girl or a boy. The size and shape of the baby bump varies greatly from person to person during this period. In any case, it is important that you regularly apply moisturiser to your belly.
Discernible baby movements
The foetus is now around 18 cm long and its body appears more elongated. You might start feeling your child moving inside the womb.
The baby’s sense of taste develops
The baby’s taste buds are now mature and functioning. The baby can tell the difference between sour, salty, sweet and bitter and it starts to develop preferences.
Halfway!
You are halfway through your pregnancy. Your child is developing fat reserves, so that it can regulate its body warmth later on. Do you already know how you would like to give birth?
Breathing, swallowing and sucking practice
Your baby’s heart is now beating at a rate of around 150 beats per minute. It’s still lying in an upright position. Over the coming weeks your baby will rotate more and more, until it assumes the birthing position.
The baby reacts to your voice
The baby’s hearing is now fully developed. You will be able to feel how the baby reacts to your voice and external noises. The baby and the placenta already take up a lot of space inside your body. They are pressing against your stomach and your bladder.
Lung development
Treat yourself to regular breaks and avoid standing while you are working whenever possible. That way, you can reduce the strain on the ligaments of the uterus, which are now being increasingly stretched.
Fully developed sense of balance
The baby already weighs around 600 grams and it will become four to give times heavier before it is born. The baby has a sense of balance and can orient itself inside the womb.
All the senses are present
The baby can not only taste, but also feel pressure, coldness as well as pain. Your own body will also store fat, so that you have sufficient reserves for the breastfeeding stage after the birth, which requires a lot of energy. That is why your stomach will start growing slightly faster than before.
Things are starting to get tight
The bigger the baby becomes, the less amniotic fluid there is surrounding it. Despite the lack of space, the baby remains active and makes its presence known by actively moving its arms and legs.
Your baby has its eyes open
Your baby is now well proportioned; it is nearing the appearance of a newborn through its constant development. Your baby experiences your abdominal wall as mildly transparent; during the day, it can see a warm, red light.
Advanced lung development
Your baby’s lungs have developed further. At this stage of pregnancy and the baby’s lung development, premature babies have a good chance of surviving with little support. Although it is becoming cramped for the child in the uterus, it can continue to turn itself spontaneously until the 36th week of pregnancy.
